a lovely walk in snowdon

Hello Bwlch y saethau, how are you today? I thought I'd show you some pictures from a walk we did to the old mines of Moria, I mean Llewydd. The path starts at the waterfalls on the Watkins path, which you know well. About half way up towards where we were with Adam last year.

This lovely stone bridge takes us across the river, over the clear cold water coming down from Snowdon, Aran and Llewydd.

We sit a while taking in the beauty of this place, with the sound of water tumbling over the falls

This picturesque landscape could be anywhere in the world but its not, it's the Snowdon you know so well.

The path will take us up into the hills behind Gallt y Wenallt, thats the hill overlooking the campsite, the steepest grass slope in uk apparently. It's strange to us as we walk up onto the back of Llewydd that the campsite is all the time, just over the ridge. It feels like we are in another mountain range rather than just over the hill!

The peak in the top left corner is non other than the one we've looked at so many times from the the van. 

Rainbows appear as we climb, as showers come and go, making an already stunning landscape even more awesome. And the view behind us gets better and better too. 

Aran towering over the Watkin Path and where we've come from.

Another rainbow points to a pot of gold I would say would probably be on Elephant rock!! That's over the ridge lit by a shaft of sunlight.

And at last we reach the mines, iron ore we think. Levels as they are called on the map. What a place to work! Right up in the heights of the mountain at the mercy of the ever changing weather. We are alone up here and are happy to be alive.

The old mine buildings are fascinating and Mum immediately spots treasure she wants to take home!

No chance, I say. But how about this one then? Please!

In your ruck sack not mine! We'll have to settle for the usual sliver of rock, these trinkets are made of solid iron!. 

So I have to investigate higher up as I still don't get these 'Levels'. The clouds are swirling, the rain dropping but I've come this far................... So I leave your Mum for a moment and climb up and onto a flattened area where I find the answer. 

yep, that small hole in the rock next to the river is a level entrance. The river shows plenty of evidence of iron in the rock, red brown streaks are in the rock not the water. Deposits I suppose, leaving stains where they've been running for ages. 

Looking down the shaft, which although wet, is not flooding. Must have been a hell of a way into work! We aren't dressed to go in, not quite our thing. Robbie, Alex. Now those two would be down it like rabbits. 

I can hear Mum calling, so I look out over the workings and call her up to have a look. you've got to see this I shout. So she scrambles up and is glad she did. 

These are well worth the visit and as we are on our own we feel even more the adventurers, finding our own discoveries. 

Everywhere is of interest,  the rocks alive with small worlds of plants and water.

Grass comes alive on the rain saturated rocks

And although this is magic mushroom country, we haven't eaten any !!! Honest! We're just high on being high. 

So we leave the mines behind and wend our way down to Nant Gwynant, as the mists swirl above us, the sun gets lower and we find ourselves once more...........  shadows in the the landscape of our own imagination!

We hope you have a lovely Wednesday. 

All our love

Dad n Mum

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